Category: General Interest

Vatican City, Jan 14, 2021 – The Vatican has confirmed the Corona vaccinations of Pope Francis and his 93-year-old predecessor Benedict XVI. The two were administered the first dose as part of the vaccination campaign launched in the Vatican City State, Press Office chief Matteo Bruni announced (Thursday). Earlier, two media had reported that the 84-year-old head of the Church had received the immunization on Wednesday. For privacy reasons, there were no photos of Francis’ immunization, the media reports said. In a TV interview Sunday night, the pope had promoted…

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The likelihood of becoming reinfected after a coronavirus infection is extremely low, at least within five months, according to a new study from the United Kingdom. For the study, scientists from Public Health England examined 6614 healthcare workers who had tested positive for corona antibodies between June and November. Only 44 subjects were found to have a new infection within this five-month period. Thus, 83 percent of the study participants were immune for at least five months. The study has only been published in preliminary form and has not yet…

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The corona mutation, first discovered in the United Kingdom, has now been detected in 50 countries. As the World Health Organization (WHO) further announced on Wednesday, in addition, another variant initially detected in South Africa has now spread to 20 countries. Both mutations have also already been detected in Austria. Recently, another virus variant has also been detected in Japan, which is causing concern, the WHO statement said. The further the virus spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutations. Therefore, the emergence of more mutations should be expected, it…

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Signs point to an extension of distance learning in schools. According to plan, face-to-face classes were to start again as early as next Monday. But now schools could remain closed until the semester break after all. This has apparently been confirmed to the “Kronen Zeitung” from government circles. The daily newspaper “Österreich” also reports this. There is no official statement on this yet. Education Minister Heinz Faßmann wanted to announce a decision by the middle of the week at the latest. At the moment, according to the Chancellor’s Office, talks…

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The majority of all old people’s and nursing homes will be vaccinated against the coronavirus within two weeks. In Lower Austria and Carinthia, this goal could already be achieved by the end of this week, said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). In a statement to APA, he expressed his delight that the accelerated vaccination strategy was working – and that the goal of coronavirus protection for the homes could thus be achieved much sooner than expected. About two-thirds of nursing home residents are currently being vaccinated in the first wave, Kurz…

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U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna today began shipping its coronavirus vaccine in Europe. The company made the announcement in Frankfurt, Germany. A large international logistics company will distribute the active ingredient, which is produced in a pharmaceutical factory in Switzerland, to the individual national states, it said. For each country, there will be a central warehouse to which the contractually agreed vaccine doses will be delivered. In the warehouses, the respective state authorities would take over and organize further distribution, Moderna said. The company did not provide further details. The EU…

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Starting Friday, an entry regulation comes into force. One must register online before traveling. This also applies to Austrians. The Foreign Ministry sent out a corresponding information to Austrians abroad on Monday afternoon. The quarantine obligation after entry remains in effect until further notice. Only after five days one can free oneself. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, commuters, transients, and persons arriving for urgent family matters that cannot be postponed, such as a funeral, will neither have to undergo the ten-day quarantine nor register. Individuals entering from a…

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Vacation travel during the Easter vacations will continue to be very limited in the view of the German government’s tourism commissioner, Thomas Bareiß (CDU), because of the pandemic. “I think that travel is something that is still very difficult to imagine for the next two or three months,” he said today on RTL and ntv’s “Frühstart” program. He does not expect things to improve until the second quarter, he said. “From Pentecost onward, it will be better again. And I hope that then the summer will be a very big…

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Easy and fast access to Corona testing is the order of the day. In front of this hospital, you can already get tested at a “COVID Automaten.” Anyone who finds a nasal swab uncomfortable and/or wants to take a proper PCR test instead of a rapid test can already do so quickly and easily at a vending machine in Austria. So far, however, only at one location, the Tauernklinikum in Zell am See (Salzburg). There, a “do it yourself” machine is located in front of the entrance, where you can…

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